Ripping Ribbons
by In The Shitty Land Of Oz
Summary: Holly healed and Alexx killed. They gave a whole new meaning to opposites attract.
1. Sparks

_**Ripping Ribbons**_

"_And where two raging fires meet together, they do consume the things that feeds their fury."_

_-William Shakespeare_

She _hated_ grocery shopping. Not because she had to stand on her feet for what seemed what hours, nor because there was snotty nosed brats running about screaming at their parents to buy them this and that. No, it was because of the crowds.

It wasn't a secret that healers were rare. It wasn't a secret that she herself was among the best of the best. A _purebred_. There wasn't many people that _didn't_ know her name. And when the adults in the grocery store figured out who she was they'd begin to demand, they weren't asking, they were_ demanding_, that she heal them. And to make it snappy at that.

And it was then she wanted to show them that she didn't only heal, but hurt as well. They didn't seem to get that part through their stupid little skulls.

Don't be mistaken, Holly was a people persons, a social butterfly, but she hated the stuck up snobs and assholes who seemed to actually believe that the world revolved around them and that life was theirs to control.

Yeah-fucking-right.

So she always wore hats and glasses in the store, preferred Pj's and a comfortable tee with some flats to match. So different from her everyday style.

None of the humans noticed though a few of the Gifted swiveled their heads her way to wave a respected hello. It helped, Holly supposed, that she stayed on her side of town where there were few humans and more of the Gifted lazing around.

So she geared up, hat in place, glasses perched, and slipped into her silver mustang. The ride to the store was fine, quiet without music and empty besides her. It was lonely, she realized. And the odd thing was-it had never bothered her before. _Just stop thinking about it,_ she told herself. _The thought will get old and die and you'll be left with peace again. Just give it a little longer._

* * *

Holly stalked around the grocery store, peeved as all the human eyes within a ten mile radius bore into her as if trying to send an intense telepathic message. Her disguise, which had obviously failed her, sat innocently in the top of the basket where a little kid would usually go, she tried to pretend she didn't get a small jolt of longing every time she glanced at the seat.

And speaking of kids, it was two little human brats that had been streaking down the isle, one screaming for their Mother, the other laughing and holding a large plane above his head. _A bully._ Then they ran into her, the spur of the moment causing them to suddenly change directions and, not seeing her, made a pile of limbs.

The littlest one began to cry harder and he clutched his knee that seemed to bend at an odd angle. The other looked on terrified.

Despite knowing what she was doing, Holly tossed off her glasses and hat, reaching for the boy and sending wave after calming wave of peace with her thoughts. His high pitched shrieks slipped to a wail and finally died to a whimper, his baby blue eyes rimmed red and brimming with tears, his face shiny and watery.

A woman rounded the corner and skidded slightly before pausing and yelling her son's name. Holly ignored her, knowing that in moments, she would be recognized and allowed to finish the task at hand.

Coaxing the little boy into trusting her enough to let her hand curl around his knee was the hardest part, but after that, it was easy sailing. Her eyes fluttered close, ignoring the ring of people that just seemed to keep growing, the other like her, the Gifted, kept their distance, looking on in respect. She pictured the bone sliding back into place painlessly, the surrounding muscles and tendons knitting themselves back together.

She took every couple of seconds to project a feeling of calm and harmless tickling as she did something that sound have had the boy rolling and screaming in pain. It was over in a matter of minutes and Holly turned to the older boy who held out a mere scraped elbow and a pleading stare.

Holly smiled and brushed her fingertips along the puffy skin and the boy gasped in fascination as he watched the skin heal itself. He clapped and ran to his Mother, the younger boy already hugging her side. The Mother mouthed a thank you before rushing from the store to, no doubt, go running to her friends to delight in the fact that she met a healer.

Healers were rare, _very_ rare. Mostly because it was dangerous times for a healer. Lately they had been getting kidnapped left and right, up and down, until only the strongest, the ones that could take care of themselves, remained.

It was a sad time.

Some of her friends were dead, some where hiding. No one could be too careful.

Holly had grabbed her cart and tried to quickly speed through her shopping, ignoring the stares as people spread one amazingly beautiful tale about her one after another to those around them. They didn't care it was fake, they were astounded. Stupid, fucking humans.

Two bubbly girls ran through the crowd, smiles splitting their faces from ear to ear, and tried to catch up to her. Their questions ranged from, "Are you dating?" to "Have you ever killed anyone?"

Stupid, fucking people!

Like she had time to answer everything they wanted to know. Holly wanted to finish shopping and go home to hide under the covers and berate herself or giving her herself away despite the fact that she knew she would have been sick if she hadn't done anything to help that child. Just let him cry and wallow in the blinding pain.

"Wait! Miss Holly! Miss, WAIT!" But she didn't wait, she didn't want to see them or their parents, or the long line of people just barely containing themselves from charging at her with the demands to heal a Grandfather or dying pet.

When another basket, more empty than hers, collided with her cart, she almost lost it. But when she slanted irritated eyes in the direction of the one responsible, she felt her face pale and her stomach erupt into a messy mass of panicked butterflies.

It was _him_!

He didn't look too surprised to see her, only smug, and it pissed her off. But there was nothing she could do. This was a Fire Caster. And he was the last of a dying race. Something to be cherished and honored above many things.

"Holly," He murmured, his voice a mixture of things that made her toes curl. His voice was low and slightly rough, the perfect morning voice. His words slipped like velvet over her skin and everything just felt so much warmer when he speared her with those golden eyes. The golden eyes that were the first trait to give away his family line. "It's been too long."

Stupid, _fucking_ life!


	2. Pain

_**Ripping Ribbons**_

"_The pain of the mind is worse than the pain of the body." _

_- Pubilius Syrus_

Holly couldn't look away from him, his golden skin and warm aura acting as an attractant.

Alexx – no last name – glared at the people crowding around them but they just continued to press themselves closer until a burst of warning heat flared from the man standing not too far from Holly. The Gifted backed away but stared on in awe as they realized that who they were staring at was the last of his kind. The last of the Fire Casters.

The heat kept coming, bathing her in a warmth she felt she'd never get enough of. "Come on," Alexx coaxed, "Let's go." Her mind agreed instantly and she felt herself begin to edge forward, towards the heat, towards the voice that was a soft kind of rough, toward the-She resisted, pulling back and slamming up her mental walls that she knew he could have broken if he had wanted to.

His lips twisted into a mocking smirk as Holly pieced together what he had done. He had laced his voice with something dangerous, something that he could make become undeniably delicious, irresistible. If he had pushed harder like she knew he could have, she would have had no choice but to follow him. If he had _really_ wanted her too, there was nothing she could have done to stop him.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Holly snapped, and turned to leave, her basket forgotten. She could always come back later or ask Auto to pick up some food. But Alexx, of course, was feeling like quite the gentleman and called her back, and this time she didn't have a choice.

She speared him was the darkest glare she could manage, fighting mentally against the invisible hands clutching to her mind. Holly could hear the voice of those around them tittering, telling one another what was happening, what was going on. The gifted looked scared. Holly didn't blame them. She herself was slightly frightened but after having been controlled by him twice before, the bastard, it wasn't as terrifying. _Liar!_

"You forgot your basket," He murmured when she came within murmuring distance.

"Release me, Alexx."

His lips twisted into a crooked grin that had the females behind behind Holly inhaling sharply. Alexx _was_ handsome, Holly would admit that much, but he was also a killer. A vicious _uncaring_ killer.

_'Aren't we all?'_

"But what if I don't want to?" His breath fanned her face and all she could think of was, 'Too close! Too close!"

"I didn't ask if you wanted – what are you doing?" He pulled her to his chest and began to thread his fingers through her hair and stroking his thumb across her cheek, following the bone into her hairline. If it wasn't the oddest thing...

Then the grocery store began to melt away, colors swirling and twisting until they broke and gave way, fading into the kitchen of her apartment. Suddenly she could move and move she did. All the way to the other side of the room.

"How do you know where I live!" Holly demanded. It was a known fact that being alone with the last Fire Caster was nothing to be happy about. If he wanted to be alone with you, it was more than likely he wanted to kill you... or fuck you. Maybe even both.

Holly couldn't say she was eager for either idea.

Those women who were so obsessed with Alexx, the ones that were cursing her and trying to imagine how _amazing _it must have felt to be encased in those strong arms and stroked like a spoiled cat, had absolutely no _clue_ what Alexx was really like. They had never seen him in action on the field, out in war. No one had seen him like she had.

Images of him, of what he could do and what he had done terrorized her dreams, turning them into horrifyingly real nightmares. Those stupid women had no idea!

Holly palmed the gun holstered to her hip. "Alexx, how do you know where I live!"

He watched her, his face unreadable as he watched her take up a defensive position and do something very, very few had been brave enough to try. She was challenging him. Such a tiny little woman and she was holding out her hand, relying on her bullets with more confidence than men twice her size could have ever hoped for.

He began to slink towards her, golden eyes flashing. Immediately, Holly's own eyes began to seek out the exits and began to edge to the nearest one.

"Scared, kitten?"

Holly chose not to answer, instead moving a little faster towards the guest room because that was were she kept her bigger weapons. She may not have been able to kill him but she could sure as hell injure him. And since she was a healer, she could patch him up and do it all over again.

He moved suddenly, startling Holly into motion. Whipping around, she dove for the door only to crash to the ground instead. Alexx forced her to her back and, in a burst of inspiration, she punched him in the face.

He stilled.

She froze in the horror of what she had just done. Very, _very_ few people lived after an attack to the last Fire Caster. Then Holly realized that she had never seen Alexx look stunned. Until now.

Scrambling to get out from under him, Holly started to mentally kick herself. She was so _fucking_ stupid! How could she forget what he could do? She had _been_ there when he had fallen into one of his rages, the worst she had even seen, and she had also been the only one left alive with memory.

But he pulled her back even though she had only managed a few inches. "I'm sorry!" She squeaked. She could feel the air around them suddenly explode with heat, drowning her in the warmth. But it wasn't unbearable. And as odd as it sounded, _that_ scared her. Because she knew for a fact that it _should_ have hurt and... it didn't.

"Alexx?"

He didn't respond, just stared on in wonder... amazement.

"Alexx, what's happening?" Something was wrong. Just so, so wrong.

"You..." He couldn't seem to form the words and the sight of the almighty Fire Caster, the last of his kind, at a loss for words was almost enough to bring a grin to her lips. His next words however squashed any urge whatsoever of smiling. "You're my life mate."

She stared at him for a long minute before promptly passing out on her kitchen room floor, trapped beneath a man that had a cruel sense of humor.

* * *

"_Alexx! Alexx, stop! You have to _stop!_" Holly screamed. There was so much blood. "Alexx _please_!" But he didn't stop, not even when she wrapped her hands around his arm did he pause in his advance towards the remaining six men lying broken on the floor. They were alive, but not for long if Alexx got a hold of them._

_The closest one, the youngest, only a mere fourteen, was the first to go. Alexx stomped his head flat. Just stomped and stomped and stomped until the floor was painted an ugly red and there was nothing more than a bloody mass of flesh, blood, bone, and hair._

"_Alexx!" Holly sobbed, standing foolishly between him and the five remaining men. And then she realized something that had her heart faltering before exploding into rapid bursts of beats and had her clutching at her chest, stumbling away from him with a feared gasp. His eyes were black. He was in a rage. No one around him was safe when he was in a rage. When he was twelve, he had even killed his Father._

_There was no way she could save the dying soldiers now. She couldn't even save herself._

_Alexx watched her with an odd sort of fascination, his eyes taking in her heaving chest and tear stained face. The blood splattered across her cheek and lips. She looked lovely. Only... Her eyes held fear... Of _him._ And that just wouldn't do._

"_Come here, girl." His voice was a deep rumble and it was so unexpected it caused her to flinch. She swung her head side to side, soft apologies flowing from her mouth like silk. Were they for him? No. The men behind her? Yes._

_Of course. She wasn't stupid._

_She knew they were all going to die. The medic in her wept._

_Alexx tilted his head to the side, regarding Holly with something akin to curiosity. Such an odd and beautiful creature._

"_Alexx," Her tone was still soft and it was pleasing to the ears. He wanted her to sing, he decided. "Please wake up."_

_He flashed her a grin that was nothing more than a vicious slash of teeth. He showed her the slightly larger than average canines. He showed her death._

_It was a horrifyingly beautiful sight._

"_But girl, I _am_ awake." And then in one smooth motion, he launched himself at her._

* * *

Holly jerked upright into a sitting position, her skin flushed and sweat causing her hair and clothes to stick to her like glue. And when she turned to see her nightmare in the flesh, in her bed, she screamed.

Alexx was up in a flash, pulling the fighting Holly against his chest with a knife whipped out before them, confronting the unknown. His voice was still husky with sleep as he demanded to know what happened.

"Let go of me you fucking-!" Holly hadn't even realized she was screaming at the top of her lungs until Alexx clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Is someone here, or not?"

"Yeah asshole, _you_! Leave before I call the enforcers!" They wouldn't do anything to him and he knew that; she was running low on threats. A stunt like that may have worked on her previous boyfriends, but they wouldn't work on this man. He was above the law. There was no question about it.

He sighed and fell back to the pillows, burrowing back under the covers to capture sleep once more. Only problem: He still had Holly tucked under his chin.

"What are you doing?" Holly struggled to fight the man who, even in his half asleep state, could overpower her. It was aggravating.

"Going back to sleep." His tone was flat though not annoyed. That was fine, she could be annoyed enough for the _both_ of them.

"Then go _home_. You're not welcome here!" He didn't respond. He was... asleep already. Stupid, _stupid_ pyromaniac!

She tried for another five minutes before giving up and sighing with disdain. There was no getting out of this one. Alexx refused to wake up and even sleeping he refused to let go. So settling down, ignoring the pleased rumble and content exhale from Alexx who fitted her better against him, she closed her eyes and tried to mentally prepare herself for the nightmare she knew was still lurking at the edge of her conscious. Lying in wait.

* * *

_And then in one smooth motion, he launched himself at her._

_They hit the wall hard, painful on her part, and the Alexx she had hoped to never encounter leaned down to take her earlobe between his teeth, nibbling softly. "Stay out of my way." He told her. When he bit just a little _too _hard, she frantically bobbed her head up and down in agreement. "Good girl." And then he pulled away from her, his warmth however stayed, encasing her until she felt she couldn't move. And then she realized, she actually _couldn't_ move._

_Alexx brutally killed the remaining men in ways Holly could have never even imagined. She hadn't been sent into the war to torture, she hadn't even been sent into the war to fight. She was supposed to stay hidden, a shadow. Then she found herself being kidnapped by approximately fifteen men. Of course they bound and gagged her, manhandling her in places that had her face burning in shame._

_But no one deserved to die like they had._

_Alexx was sick, this much she knew, but never would she have guessed to _this_ extent._

_He grabbed the man cowering on the floor and held him against the wall adjacent to Holly's. His frightened yell echoed in her mind seconds before Alexx sliced the back of his knees, ensuing that this prey wouldn't be able to run from him. Not anymore._

"_Alexx stop! Alexx, let me go!" He didn't listen to her though, focused only on the blood stained floor. Laughing, he broke the man's fingers, every single one of them. Two spots each. Then, raising his screams, he crushed the bones in the man's bare feet. Alexx's hard heal grinding the skin to fleshy strips. He threw two knives, watching and waiting until they speared the feet. Dead center to anchor him to the ground._

"_Alexx!" He cut open the man's belly, forcing his trembling arms to catch and clutch his own insides. Next was the slow removal of his tongue... last were his eyes._

_He took his time._

_The man's voice was gone, one scream faded into the next until it had become nothing more than background music for Alexx._

_Then he died._

_He slipped away into the open arms of death with an expression of shaken relief... He was free._

_Alexx was angry. Snarling, he grabbed another._

_The tortures were long and gruesome. It was horrifying that someone could even think them, much less act out upon them. Apparently Alexx did both. He had taken the tongue the had removed earlier and told the fifth man that if he ate it, he'd let him go. He'd leave that place alive. Alexx lied and killed him anyway._

"_Lick the floor." He told the last one, the ghost of a cruel smirk curling his lips, haunting his mouth. "Taste what's left of your comrades."_

"_Alexx," Holly's voice was pained, her pitch raised with near hysteria. The sound was scratchy but still pleasing, Alexx allowed. "Alexx please, no more! No more!" She had been screaming for what felt like hours and her voice never got through. He never seemed to hear it over the voice of the dying._

_He finally faced her, the man curled on the ground whimpered hopefully, the sound of a wounded dog. Holly felt sick. Nauseous. She wished, wished with all of her being that she was somewhere, _anywhere_ else but there. She couldn't do this any longer. She couldn't watch his sick game._

"_Please..." She trailed off. "No more."_

_The man died a quick death._

_Alexx was back moments later with an odd look, one she had never seen on him before. She almost wasn't sure she even saw what she was looking at._

_He was looking for approval. A praise._

_But how could she give something so falsely? How could she lie so freely?_

'Because you're about to die.'

_So she gave him what he was looking for. She told him in the damp darkness where no one could hear her horrible words or see what the monster had done, that he made her happy. That he _saved_ her._

_He rocked her against his chest, taking her from the wall. From one prison to the next._

Suddenly everything made sense.

* * *

Waking to the feeling of someones lips moving against her jaw and slipping down to nuzzle her throat was definitely something Holly could get used to. She urged the lips up with her hands until she could cover them with her own, teeth and tongue moving freely in a battle for dominance.

Strong, warm arms tightened around her waist, curling her closer. She ran her hands through messy hair, the texture soft like fur. She threaded her fingers through the strands easily, tugging and pulling on occasions. Until a low growl rumbled from beneath her.

Holly's eyes snapped open, shocked orbs clashing against pleased, molten gold.

She was laying on Alexx's chest, making out with one of the most feared men alive. So she did what any other woman she thought should do: She slapped him.

She scrambled off of him, his bed-shaking chuckles had her face burning with embarrassment. "What were you even _thinking?_ You _asshole_!" Holly snapped over her shoulder as she became entangled within the sheets.

"That you have the sexiest little-

"Shut up!" Then, "Where's my shirt!"

"In my hand babe." He held it out. "Want it?"

Holly bristled. "I'll be fine without it." She had a closet full anyway. Getting to them, however, became a bit of a problem. Especially since Alexx pulled her back and forced her underneath him. Taking her surprise to his advantage, he slipped between her legs, his bare skin creating a delicious friction against her stomach.

His breath caressed her lips, the hot air trickling down her neck. The hairs on her nape stood on end. "You sure?" He trailed soft kisses, nothing more than brief touches, to her ear and sucked a lobe between his teeth. Something inside her twisted, making her feel odd.

Unsure, Holly pushed against his chest without any real force at all. "Alexx?" He nibbled in response. Tingles flashed down the inside of her thighs, something she had never felt before. It made her gasp in surprise.

Alexx slipped an expertly sneaky hand between them, unclasping her bra and removing her of it in one quick motion. It snapped Holly back to reality long enough for her to realize that the only piece of clothing between them were her silky black panties. He swallowed her angry shout.

His tongue delved between her lips and stroked the inside of her mouth teasingly, dancing away when she tried to shove out the opposing appendage with her own. "Get off!" She managed before being pulled back under the restless sea of unusual feelings as his large hands cupped her breasts.

His fingertips brushed the swell of her breasts as they spilled to the side without the restraint or support of a bra. Suddenly, Alexx's nimble fingers closed and tugged on a pink nipple causing Holly's back to bow with the sudden onslaught of pleasure. She didn't even noticed his head had moved away until his too hot mouth closed over the neglected nipple.

He sat hunched over her, sucking playfully until she withered under him, confused and needy. Her body felt too hot and too tight. A sudden urge filled her so quickly she acted without thinking and ground against the hard object stabbing her between the legs.

She froze and let the different feeling wash over her. Alexx didn't. He rocked forward until that hard object stroked her again. And again. And again.

Something inside her coiled like springs, pulled tighter and tighter until it felt so good, it hurt. Alexx flung the second sheets aside long enough to join her under the same one, until they were fully pressed skin to skin. Holly realized with a jolt that the hard object was his arousal and she had just been grinding against it like a needy whore.

Flushing with embarrassment, Holly fumbled with shaking hands to pull his head from her chest and opened her mouth to say no, to tell him to stop, when he blew cold air of the wet nipple. It stunned her long enough for his mouth to seal over hers and for him to reach between them and, with a steady hand, slide his penis against the slit of her. Over and over.

The pleads fell from her lips like water until he finally ripped her panties, the fabric splitting at the seams and plunged inside of her so quick it didn't even hurt. Until she tried to move. Pain pierced her sharply and she cried out. Alexx was deathly still, his tongue rasping over her cheeks when the tears overflowed.

He moved again. Another cry. He waited some more but this time when he moved, the pain was dulled briefly by hand of pleasure. By the next thrust, nothing hurt at all.

They moved oddly at first, struggling until Alexx coaxed her into a steady rhythm. Their pants and moans and groans and grunts filled the room. Labored breathing echoed and hearts pounded, filling the ears of the couple.

Then everything shattered noisily, like a car crash. Stars exploded, the sun ate itself, and she was flying. Soaring on softly petaled wings until she crashed back down to earth so hard her body sagged, falling limp under the heavy weight of Alexx who too, was coming off his high.

Then knowledge of what they had done hit her full force, shaming her until her eyes burned with tears. "Get off." He didn't. "Please... just leave!"

His gold eyes – smoldering – betrayed nothing. "No."

"Dammit Alexx!" _Don't cry! _"Can't you do anything to benefit someone other than yourself for once in your life!" _Don't cry!_ "You're such a selfish bastard. I don't know why I suddenly expected different." _Don'tcrydon'tcrydon'tcry!_

Alexx eased to his elbows, taking most of the weight off her chest, and stared. Maybe he was unsure how to react to a female such as herself, after all, he had never been turned away before. Maybe he was contemplating how to persuade her into having sex again. Or _maybe_ he watching her struggle to control her emotions and the blasted tears that seemed to have a mind of their own. Perhaps he was mocking her? Laughing at her pain? He was the sadistic type.

Holly's hands shoved against Alexx's bare chest, and she turned her face away, choosing instead to glare tearfully at the wall to her left. "I want you out. I want you out of this house. I want you out of my life. I want you gone."

"No."

Holly slapped him. The loud crack of flesh on flesh bounced off the walls, echoing painfully in her ears as she fought not to flinch. Her chest rose and fell violently, vision clouded by tears, the stupid, _fucking_ tears.

"Holly. That's enough."

"Enough?" Her voice rose shrilly. "Enough! No, Alexx, enough is what I've had of you! I am _sick_ of you! Sick of how you rule the world! Sick-" His hand clapped painfully hard over her mouth, halting her rapidly moving lips with the kind of ease that _pissed her off._

"Holly." His voice was a dangerous thing, and blocking it out was harder than it should have been. "Holly-"

"Shut up!" She screamed. "Shut the _fuck_ up! You don't get to use that stupid 'voice' on me." What happened to the strong willed woman just earlier that evening Holly wondered. Where did all her fiery strength go? Because it sure wasn't there aiding her. "So just... just shut up." The end was weak. A bad ending to her sentence and to the argument because when those words passed her lips she was met with silence. The oh-so-terrible silence that made her want to rip out her hair and just _break _something.

Then, as the world turned upside down, snow fell in Hell, and Alexx actually listened to someone other than himself, he stood and sought his clothes, finding them easily even in the dark. Then he left without another word.

Holly stayed in the bed, the air chilling her naked skin when she neglected to pull the covers back over her body. An hour passed, two, but the ceiling never changed. The empty white didn't bleed to red or green or blue or even purple. It stayed that same, boring pale and Holly should know, because she stared at it. Just stared and stared and thought about all of her regrets and all of her choices and felt shockingly cold and surprisingly empty and undeniably _lonely_.

She humored those feelings for a while, shoved the anger away when it surfaced and allowed the guilt to marinade. She felt cruel for telling Alexx to leave the way she had. For _screaming_ it at him. But then the faces of those men Alexx had brutally tortured and killed plastered themselves before her eyes and suddenly that was all she could see. The dark blood, how it touched everything, stuck to everything, sucked the life from it all. She could almost taste the sharp, metallic, gritty _substance_ that splashed the ground like paint... it had drenched Alexx's hands like that was were it belonged.

Her stomach rolled and Holly staggered to the bathroom, hand clapped tightly to her mouth until she fell on her bare knees and retched. Her hand fumbled with the handle and the loud crash as it flushed startled her and she jerked away violently.

_Get a hold of yourself. Jumping like a frightened child._ Holly mentally scoffed. She had faced down danger, held death in her_ arms_, and she jumped because of a _toilet?_ Were was the logic in that?

She sighed and curled up on the fluffy black rug her friend had giving her a three years ago for her nineteenth birthday and tried to fade away. To close her eyes and just _disappear_.

If only for a little while.


	3. Selfish

_**Ripping Ribbons**_

"_Modesty and unselfishness: These are the virtues which men praise, and pass by." - Andre Maurois_

Blearily, Holly's eyes opened as she realized with blatant frustration that she couldn't get back to sleep. She had laid in bed for what felt like hours and could only roll restlessly around, her thoughts full of what had occurred hours before. So much, that she even had to strip the bed of its covers and curl under a blanket from her closet.

Now, she sat against the wall and stared at the door from the floor. Today was her day off and she had never wished so much that it wasn't. What she needed was to submerge herself in her work completely. Because work was the only thing that could consume her mind so fully that she had little room for anything else to linger.

Finally working up her courage, Holly pushed herself to her feet and opened the door, pulling the blanket around her shoulders tighter. With a moments hesitation, she dipped her hand inside the bottom dresser drawer and emerged with her silver weapon. She ignored the panicked voice wondering how he knew where she kept her gun and slipped out the door.

The gun trembled between her shaking fingers. _Just in case._ She needed to know if Alexx had stayed because she hadn't much cared for anything other than for him to leave her sight last night. She forgot to make sure he had actually left.

She stopped nervously at the entrance to her living room. What would she say if he was still there? I'm pissed you stole my virginity and I'd very much like it back now, thanks? She nibbled her lip and finally peaked stealthily from the dining room just outside the kitchen until she could see the couches and the one who was languidly stretched across the far sofa.

Alexx, with a jacket clad arm thrown over his eyes. His chest rose and fell slowly, evenly and with such ease it made Holly's heart clench. Hesitantly, she stepped a little closer and noted the tiny bumps that broke out about his neck. She didn't see him shiver but the goose bumps said otherwise. And against her better judgment, she felt bad. She had made him leave the room and he chose to sleep on her couch and she _did_ feel slightly safer knowing he was there.

He had saved her during the war more than once and had never really done anything to harm more than her feelings so Holly figured it was safe to let him stay just a little while longer. Her feet were quiet as she approached him cautiously and the gun made a solid _click _when she set it on the coffee table_._

Taking the blanket from around her shoulders, Holly draped it lightly over Alexx's sleeping form, tucking it securely around him like her Mother used to do. _Because it keeps the bad things out and you in,_ she'd say. It didn't matter that she wasn't right.

Then without thinking, Holly brushed his hair off his face. She snatched back her hand and hurried to the kitchen, working hard to wipe the blush off her cheeks.

With the coffee pot brewing, Holly took it upon herself to make breakfast. It was simple, eggs, toast, and strawberries, but it was more than what she was used to. Breakfast usually came in the form of a wrapped packet of Pop-Tarts and orange juice to-go.

Holly stood at the sink and sliced absently at the strawberries until she came to a tiny one, round and plump and debated on just eating it herself when warm arms curled around her waist and Alexx's head appeared over her shoulder.

Her protests died in her throat when he lazily dipped his mouth to wrap his lips around the strawberry, pulling it between his teeth slowly. Sensually, his tongue lapped at her fingers, removing them of the sweet juices that lingered.

Holly's lips parted unconsciously, her eyes fixed on his mouth and her stomach twisted in response pulling her from her daze and she pulled out of his grasp, eyes downcast.

Turning off the water she dried her hands on a hand towel and handed the plate and a fork into the waiting hands of Alexx. She busied herself with cleaning away the egg shells and cleaning out the pan before she joined him at the table, slipping into the seat across from him.

Then, with a twinge of guilt, she realized he hadn't touched the food yet. _Waiting for her._ She apologized and he brushed it off, continuing to watch her.

Shifting uncomfortably Holly questioned if something was wrong, he responded with, "Eat." So she did. His lips curled in a small smirk before he followed her, lifting a fork full of eggs to his mouth. _Stop watching!_ Holly glanced away.

He waited until she finished, watched her place her fork down gingerly, and remained seemingly unaware as Holly searched fruitlessly for the best words to, _ah hell-_ "Can you leave now?"

He didn't answer, instead taking her plate to the sink with his and began to wash them. His shoulders were tense and Holly wasn't sure that she wanted to ask again and when she had finally had strengthened her resolve, opening her mouth to take charge, someone began to knock at the door.

Holly pushed herself to her feet and shot a warning look to Alexx that she wasn't sure he even saw. Rising to her toes Holly peaked through the peep-hole and sighed in relief. Auto had brought her groceries.

Unlocking the door and stepping aside gratefully, she let him in.

"You wouldn't believe what I heard this morning," He began, flashing Holly a lopsided grin. "It was the latest gossip." He mocked playfully, more than likely mocking his fourteen year old daughter.

"And what is the _latest gossip_?" Holly asked as she took a bag from his arms and walked carefully into the kitchen. She started emptying the bags, fruit and veggies in the fridge. Cheese. Milk. Bread on the counter. Soup in the cupboard to the le-

"That the famous _Miss. Holly_ was abducted by Alexx, the last of the Fire. Leaving her basket full of items and a thankful child with a healed knee behind. Not only that, she left her _car_ in the parking lot!" He scoffed. "It goes on. Would you like to hear more?"

"Please, God no. Just stop and don't breath another word of this." _Shit, should have known it would be nation-fucking-wide by now. _"I just want this to go away."

Auto said nothing for a long moment, leaning instead against the counter next to her, watching as she organized the counters and cleaned the stove from the morning's activities. "So it's true?" Holly couldn't look at him. "Fuck Holly! Where did he take you?"

"Home." She decided that her voice was much softer and lighter than Auto's. "It's nothing to worry about Auto..."

Growling, his hands captured her upper arms, dragging her before him and refusing to continue until she looked him in the eye. Even angry, Auto was conscious of how gentle he needed to be and Holly commended him of his excellent control.

Her eyes roamed his face, taking in his frowning forehead and open mouth. Then she took a good long look at his fangs that had lengthened in his irritation, curiously observing the way his blue eyes bled to red as he fought to push down his vampric nature.

"Auto," Holly reached between them and cupped his tense jaw, sending warm 'vibes', encouraging his muscles to _loosen up _and _relax_. She slid her hand around to the back of his neck, massaging and continuing the feelings until she had successfully removed his headache. "Everything is fine. I promise you."

He gave a lengthy sigh, resting his forehead against her shoulder. Holly felt bad for Auto, not because his next meal most likely was going to come from a blood bank downtown, or even the fact that his daughter seemed to hold a section of resentment for what her Father had become, despite the fact that it wasn't his fault. Not even because he was going to outlive his only child either. She felt bad because Auto was all alone and no matter how hard she, or anyone else, tried there was still no way they could ever actually _understand _what a horrible turn his life had taken. And it had all started with just a simple blood drawing.

The day after an adult turns twenty-five, they're required to have blood drawn and then tested. It was a simple test that the Doctors ran through a complex system of machines before setting it beneath a microscope to be examined. There was a certain mutation that appeared sometime after the 20th century that baffled scientists. Instead of their DNA bases pairing to Adenine to Thymine and Guanine to Cytosine, they paired to Adenine to Guanine and Thymine to Cytosine. Something that should have been impossible.

And the people with this odd DNA had enough of a natural immunity and a genetic resistance to Porphyria or the disease more commonly known as Vampirism. But Porphyria was supposed to be genetic and passed down from generation. However, a nurse, Lynra Blanks, working the night shift in 2014 was bit by a carrier of Porphyria.

Doctor Guyanian, a family friend of the Blanks offered his assistance when the skin around the bite began to deteriorate, necrosis taking effect. As a precaution, he drew blood and observed it under the microscope. Her chart had stated no abnormalities in her blood but when he magnified her blood, the DNA caught his eye. The double helix had bent itself out of shape, 'unzipping' halfway and seeming to freeze.

He took two more samples until he could state, without a doubt, that her DNA had changed. Her twenty-fifth birthday had been but a week before.

Three days later, she called in sick. Then again the next day. The day after, no one called at all.

Guyanian had waited but after receiving no contact from the family he showed up finding the door hanging off its hinges and blood pooling on the floor. The scream from inside the house shoved aside his better judgment and he ran inside.

Blood was everywhere.

It splashed the walls, brushed the ceiling, and trickled from beneath Lynra's door like a red stream.

When he found her, her mouth dripped red, and her eyes flashed burgundy. Teeth dipped dangerously to her lower lip; everyone else was dead.

They took her to an insane asylum, where she lived for twenty more years before Doctor Guyanian was requested to check on the very woman that had tore open the necks of his best friends with only her mouth and drank them dry.

What he saw stunned him to the point of anger. That wasn't possible.

She hadn't aged a day.

No new wrinkles, no change in texture or firmness of the skin and her hair was still as luscious and shiny as it had been the day he found her bathed in blood.

Then she told him her secret.

She took sips from several other patients, several times a week and she never craved food and the only thing she thirsted for was their veins. She asked him to kill her.

He left, leaving her to plead for her death behind him.

Several cases like Lynra Blanks surfaced over the next few year and they were taken, then observed. Like rats. Inhuman tests, blood samples, cages like they were animals. It became their lives.

Then, during February of 2034, Michelleo Grandths brought to light the impossible abnormalities of DNA surfacing only after their twenty-fifth birthdays and how the changes were only present after they were in some way or form bit or infected by Porphyria carriers. It was explained that because of their unique DNA, the disease was warped and mutated into the actual definition of Vampirism.

They gained inhuman strength. After their fifteenth year of being infected, they became more difficult to harm. They needed blood to sustain themselves. Their incisors lengthened and grew in response to strong emotions; eyes changed to red in sync with their teeth. They never aged.

They became monsters.

But then the Government found a use for these 'monsters' when war became unavoidable and countries fell to blood lust and greed. They found themselves armed needlessly and thrown the the front lines. When the war turned to the favor of the 'Vampires', it became law to be tested. And if you were found with the DNA, you were injected with the Porphyria Disease through the transfer of fluids from the infected to the mutated. Blood in exchange for venom. Then you were drafted. The law didn't protect monsters and they were subjugated to a cruel world.

Many of the Vampires were forced to see the reality of what they had become. And others, like Auto, were going to experience the joy of planning a child's wedding and not too far after, the sorrow of organizing their funeral.

She wanted to tell him she was sorry, but couldn't find the right words. So she said nothing.

And a moment later, she realized that Alexx had left, showing more kindness in the last twenty-four hours than he had in his entire lifetime.

* * *

Auto wasn't a stupid man.

He had lived too long to be fooled by a silly smile and soft petting. He didn't believe for a moment that nothing had happened. It wasn't only his close friendship with the Healer that highlighted her lies but because his scent emanating from her skin and hair so strongly it made his nose twitch from across the room.

It wasn't hard to find the Fire Descendant, nor did it take long once his location had been discovered to approach him wearily with the news of the change of war plans.

Auto wasn't a stupid man, but he was selfish.

"Lieutenant?" He didn't turn but Auto knew he had his attention when the temperature around them rose a few notches.

"General."

"Have you been enjoying yourself? First week back and I've heard you've been causing a stir among the civilians." Auto didn't achieve the casual tone he had wanted so he just stopped trying.

Alexx turned from the window that covered nearly the entire expanse of the western wall to face Auto slowly. It was a nice condo. Spacious, must have cost a fortune. But it was obvious he wasn't here often. Auto found he couldn't blame him because who would want to live alone, watching the world below with only a thin plane of glass to separate you? Taunting that you can look and not touch?

"Is there a reason you're here?" There was an unblinking kind of silent challenge crackling between them. And Auto had to admit, no else gave him this kind of lip. No one else really had the balls to piss off a vampire with nothing to lose.

"You're being called." Get in, get out.

"No."

"You don't have a fucking a choice, Lieutenant." Auto found that after years of watching everyone die, being harsh felt good. It made the hurt seem less real and he could live with that.

"No, I guess I don't do I... General?" His fangs didn't retract fully, but they receded enough for Auto to smile mockingly. A twisted form of agreement.

"Departure is at 2100. Don't be late." Then he stepped back into the shadows, melting from sight. And when Alexx lit his fingers, he was alone in the room.

Yeah, Auto may have been selfish but he was far from stupid.


	4. Confession

_**Ripping Ribbons**_

"_There is no refuge from confession but suicide; and suicide is confession." - Daniel Webster_

**4 Weeks Later**

No.

No way.

Holly fought back the tears as she shoved back a section of her bangs that just wouldn't _stay out of her face_. Things like this didn't happen to people like her. _Good _people like her.

She had saved so many lives and risked herself on so-_fucking_-many occasions and _this _was the thanks she received?

Holly met the eyes of her reflection momentarily in the bathroom mirror but dove for the toilet again as her stomach heaved suddenly.

And as she flushed, gasping to regain her breath, the small white stick slipped from her fingers and clattered against the tiled floor. Sobs shook her body violently and fat tears dripped, threatening to drench her shirt as she curled in on herself. But every time she closed her eyes, her sight was flooded with the memory of the two blue lines staring harmlessly back at her.

_Congratulations, _they mocked. _You're going to be a _Mother.

* * *

Holly chewed her nails as she paced restlessly. Pregnant with Alexx's child.

It was a nightmare and a twisted blessing wrapped in one. She choked suddenly and shoved the heel of her hands to her eyes in an attempt to block the sudden rush of tears. She was only twenty-three! She couldn't take care of a child.

Holly collapsed to her couch and curled around a pillow. The thought of bringing a being into this world amazed her. How could two lonely people create such a wonderful bundle of magic that would someday change the world?

Suddenly Holly felt sick.

What if she messed up? What would happen if she made a mistake? Would there be a second chance? Holly didn't want to be her mother. She didn't want to lose her husband and her child and-

_But she didn't have a husband._

Instead she had Alexx. Her child would have a murder for a Father...

But then again so had she. Her father had murdered himself out of grief and her mother had followed suit, trying to find her happiness in the bottom of a bottle. And now she had no one left...

No, Alexx would never know he was the father if she could help it. Was that fair to her child? No. Would Alexx and her child hate her if they ever found out? Probably. But it was a chance she was going to take.

So when Holly closed her eyes, she felt at peace. She had finally solved her problem in the most cowardly way, but she was okay with that. And maybe, when Alexx – who most _definitely _wouldn't be okay with it – found out, he wouldn't go into a rage and kill her. Maybe, just maybe.

* * *

_Holly remembered the day her father killed himself almost as well as she remembered the moment her mother realized that she had just killed her second child._

_When Holly was six, her mother finally conceived her second child. And when she turned seven, her mother tangled her feet in Father's coat and fell to the floor, accidentally crushing her baby boy in a failed attempt to shield him._

_Her mother had stared in shock for a long moment while Holly looked on curiously from the kitchen table, the eggs soggy and forgotten. Then she screamed._

_It was horrible sound that chilled Holly's blood and held all the torment and the horror of a a lifetime. She screamed and screamed and screamed until Holly's father came running down the hall so fast he stumbled over his own feet. She screamed until the neighbors began to pound at the door and call for the enforcers. And when she stopped screaming it was like a blanket of deafness had engulfed the house and clogged their ears._

_Faintly, she recalled thinking that she had never seen her father cry before. And that she had never heard so much hatred come from her gentle mother until she turned to her father an hour later after the paramedics had taken her dead son away and told him that this was all his fault. That had he cleaned up after himself, like she had _always_ told him to do, that this wouldn't have happened. That their baby wouldn't be on his way to a hole in the ground._

_And the next day, her father strung up a rope and kicked away Holly's favorite stool he had bought for her birthday two years ago, hanging himself in the secluded silence of his study while Holly slept and her mother downed herself in alcohol; drinking in the knowledge of what she drove her husband to do._

_Holly woke before even the sun and tip-toed her way to the kitchen. No one would notice if she ate a few cherries as long as she shifted the others to make the empty holes disappear. No one would even notice._

_But when she entered the kitchen, she found her mother face down to the table with her fingers curled loosely around the neck of a whiskey bottle. Suddenly cherries didn't sound so yummy so Holly left back for her room alone._

_But halfway down the hall her eyes spotted something odd. Father had lit a candle and was in his study! He was awake and Holly felt much happier than she had a few minutes ago._

_Opening the door quickly, she entered, the, "Hello Daddy!" bursting from her lips. Then she stopped. He wasn't behind his desk but that was strange because he wouldn't have left a candle lit if he wasn't present to watch it. He was always warning Holly about the danger of an unattended fire and the unrepairable damage it could cause._

_Glancing around the room she finally spotted him. He was swinging from a low beam that was more visible than the four others and he wasn't breathing. There was a dribble of blood dripping from his fingertips and Holly stumbled back until she hit the far wall and slammed into it, dropping to the floor with her hands pressed so tight over her mouth that it hurt._

_Holly couldn't pull her eyes away and when his body slowly twisted toward her and his blank eyes locked with hers, she screamed. She screamed so long that her throat bled and the enforcers broke in for the second time in only 24 hours._

_Mother never came and Father left in a body bag._

* * *

**2 Months Later**

"How's Lyrica doing?" The young fourteen year old daughter that had sent some cookies with Auto and was as sweet as the yellow frosting she decorated them with.

Auto gave a lazy shrug. "She wants to move in with her boyfriend."

Holly froze. "But she's fourteen!"

Auto gave her a droll look. "I told her no."

"What did she do?" Curiosity burned. As a child of unfortunate circumstances, she had never experienced anything so... rebellious. She hadn't had the time for such a thought.

"She argued and I told her that if she didn't drop the subject, her _boyfriend_ was going to make a fine snack." Holly cuffed him over the head.

"What were you thinking, telling her such a horrible thing! You wouldn't really so something like that! Don't lie to your daughter!"

"I wasn't lying."

There was a long moment of silence in which Holly glared stubbornly and Auto humored her by responding with a staring contest that she lost not long after.

"Would you like something t-"

"My humanity."

Holly sighed. "Auto, I'm sorry. I really and truly am. But there is nothing that even _I_ can do to help you." Stepping away from her course to the pantry, Holly made her way back through the kitchen to stand next to the vampire.

Softly brushing her hands through his hair, Holly tried to ease his mind but his blocks thickened in reflex, keeping her out. Nodding she moved to give him space when his hand encircled her wrist and he let it hang there loosely, telling her that it was okay to reject him. To return back to the kitchen, but she stayed.

"I saw Penelope a few days ago at the bakery across the street from the blood bank." Holly pulled a chair close and felt a twinge of unease. What he was about to tell her was bad. "Lyrica was with her. And they were talking and laughing and... and I think she's going to leave me like her Mother did. I think she's going to disappear from my life and leave me-" He paused. "And then she'll leave me all alone with the monster that I've become."

Auto locked his eyes with Holly's. "When they die, I want to see their funeral. And then that night I want you to kill me." He made it sound so simple. He sounded so calm and not at all like he was talking about his death. He was suicidal – All he needed was just a few years.

It was honestly a selfish request. He never once thought of what would happen to her after she stole the life of a comrade, of a friend. He never thought of what the officials would do once they learned of how she removed from their ranks the best general they had seen in over a century. He never _once_ thought-

Holly reached out and brought his cheek to her shoulder to let him cry in her arms, to let his red tears stain her neck, and promised something that might very well destroy her.

* * *

_There was an explosion._

Alexx watched dispassionately at the three men groveling to his feet, their bloody hands _(where were their fingers?)_ trying to form prayer but falling to clutch only at sand.

"Please, please sir!" He was the only one Alexx had yet to touch. "Do not hurt us no more! We leave and not come bad! Not come back ever!" Alexx met his eyes and then tuned his ear onto to the spy on the far left side of the group as he began to scream.

His arms were on fire and Alexx had broken both his legs. The irony was that he had placed three buckets of water before him and told him that if he could reach one and dose himself, he would let him live. He's let them all live.

It was a humorous lie.

_Nearly half the camp died..._

They all _believed_ it.

Now the man struggled to drag himself with failing limbs to the bucket, his flesh burning and peeling to reveal the twitching muscled beneath. The stench of death filled the building before he was even half way there.

Alexx turned to the next man and flashed his teeth. The scent of fear pressed against his nose, melted in his mouth, slithered down his throat... _it was delicious._

For every man that couldn't make it to the buckets, the leader received a thin lashing of fire.

"You enjoy hurting us." The leader accused, his skin now blotchy and raw. Blood oozed and his eyes pooled with tears.

"Yes. I suppose I do." Another man died.

"Why?" The last of his word was elevated into a low shriek as fire licked his throat.

Alexx flicked him a glance before setting another man on fire, the flames burning so hot they pulsed blue. "I need a reason?"

Fifteen more men remained, bound, crippled, and lined in a row. Alexx leaned against the wall, the corners of his mouth curled.

Then he kicked over a bucket, the water sloshing violently towards the mangled dead bodies.

"No! No please! Mercy! Please have mercy!"

Alexx paused and the man hurriedly tried to continue. He sensed a moment of weakness in which he might break through. "We leave, yes? We leave and you see us no more!"

"You know what I think?" The air around them was thick with roasted flesh and death. "I think you're full of shit." And with a twitch of his fingers, he continued his little game, reveling in the blood-muffled screams of his victims.

_Alexx didn't 'care' about them at all._

Heat from the sun, flames from Alexx, settled down to curl restlessly between the predator and the last remaining prey, waiting patiently, ever so docile, for the command. For the delightful permission to devour...

It was given.

The eye lids burned, peeling back to reveal haunted eyes as they too were shriveled, withering to bare empty sockets that stared emptily at death. The lips curled and crisped and the teeth gleamed. The tongue sizzled and bubbled until it popped, oozing blood that boiled down the throat.

_He wasn't being a hero or avenge his camp._

Arms swung like windmills and hands tried to pat away fire. Throwing handfuls of sand and dirt to try and smother the flames. His body bounced, legs twitched, bones shattered and poked through the skin like spikes. A chorus of screaming men, their torment continuing even after death through their dying leader, caressed the night with violence and continued until the larynx was blanketed by flames and shriveled like a dead leaf, then crunched and steadily coated the blood and bones like brown flecks.

_Not just because he didn't know how-_

Alexx stepped through the fading blue sparks and it lapped at his ankles like loyal mutts and scurried away, pleased to have sated the beast.

_-But because he was a selfish creature who had an inner beast roaring to be satisfied._

His boots crunched over the bodies of the dead, crushing whatever was left into a fine dusting of ash on his way to report back to the camp with his detailed account. They'd be pleased to learn just how well he could cross his T's and dot his I's.

_And saving any life other than his mate's was a pointless waste of time._

It was nothing short of what they expected of such a monster.

* * *

**2 Months Later**

Holly ambled down the hall with her destination as the kitchen.

The last two months hadn't been bad. She told who she needed to tell, the hospital, Auto, and... Holly frowned. _There was no one else to tell._

A healer's life was usually a lonely one, and oddly enough, that had never dampened her mood more than the thought did right then. How was her baby supposed to grow up? The closest person to a relative, to a male figure at all, her child was going to have was Auto. _A suicidal vampire._

Holly poured herself a glass of water, taking an apple from the fridge, and turned with half blurred eyes and a desperation to mold out the best possible decision, the best move to make that would give her daughter, or son, a better life. One that didn't involve Alexx.

A presence in the corner of her kitchen shuffled and continued to escape Holly's knowledge until the being emitted a rumbling, throaty sound. Startled, Holly swung a large knife before her and slid into a defensive crouch. Her hand wavered and her shoulders slumped in relief.

"Oliver!" Holly cried as she tossed the knife back into the sink and rushed forward to engulf the cat in a hug. "I missed you..." Holly suddenly had to fight the urge to cry. Oliver had been the only constant in her life aside from Auto. _But Auto was going to leave her..._

Holly placed him back on the counter with a troubled look. Oliver's ears flipped out, laid back in distress at the aura of depression emitting in overbearing waves from his young mistress. His round amber eyes glittered with an unidentified emotion and... He stepped forward, one dainty paw before the other, to press his little red-brown nose to Holly's rounded belly. Her scent had changed and Oliver who was so, so curious, had to check it out.

Holly watched curiously and then frowned. Oliver couldn't tell that she was pregnant, could he? He was just a cat.

Oliver padded softly at her stomach and gave a lengthy meow. His tone was questioning as he sat and stared up at Holly with warm amber eyes.

"Hey baby," Holly soothed. "Mommy's going to have a _child_. How absolutely, positively _crazy_ does that sound? Me, giving birth."

Oliver's head tilted to the side in a soft understanding. His nose tapped her stomach again. Kits. His mistress was carrying kits.


	5. Knowledge

_**Ripping Ribbons**_

"_The mind is slow in unlearning what it has been long in learning." - Roman Philosopher Seneca_

**1 Month Later**

Holly curled on the couch, a child development book propped open on the couch's arm. She pulled the fluffy caramel colored blanket tighter around her shoulders and Oliver stirred from his place on her legs.

He gave a throaty, tongue curling yawn and began to groom his paws. His chest rumbled as a flash of pink darted between the pads on his paw.

"_Holly! Hey, hey Holly, I have a quick question for you!" Holly turned to face a nurse rushing down the hall, her face split in a devious grin. She slowed as she came closer, breathing heavy. "Sorry to come sprinting down the hall at you like some kind of freak but I haven't been able to find you all day and there was no way I was going to let this opportunity fly away." She laughed and it was a pleasing sound._

_Holly laughed too. "I'm sorry Jennie, I hadn't realized you were looking for me or I would have made it a little easier. I've been cooped up in the kitchen all day. Figured they could use some help, some new quick recipes. I've been getting complaints, you know." Holly winked. "Mr. Younts was _especially_ noisy." Jennie nodded with another cheeky flash of teeth._

_Mr. Younts was a cancer patient who was starting to spend more and more time at the hospital. A vocal man of sixty-seven with no living family, his cancer was terminal and getting worse. He was full of life and kept the nurses laughing, but there were moments when he wouldn't be able to make it fully down the hall without having to stop for a breather and if you paid attention, the gleam in his eyes, the life in them, was slowly starting to fade away. Deteriorating over time._

_He was precious but lonely and was often found wondering out of his room to find a friendly nurse to chat up to kill the time. "I may be dieing," he would say. "But I don't have to act like it." He was the closest thing to a Grand Father and Holly found herself going out of her way to make the old man comfortable, going as far as to even call him Gramps. Heading to the kitchen for example, had been Holly catering to Younts's desires of having something _editable_ for once. "None of that grim shit they like to call food." He insisted. "_You _try to eat it. 'Sides," He grinned. "It appears I'm going to be staying an awfully long while here, might as well make it the best it can be right? Now, for tomorrow, I was thinking..."_

"_What was it that you needed?" Holly asked. It wasn't often Jennie hunted people down all day without a good reason._

"_I was wondering..." Her face turned down sheepishly. "I was wondering if you wanted a cat? He's beautiful!" Jennie rushed when she saw the frown creeping onto Holly's face. "He's an Abyssinian and such a sweetheart and... I couldn't think of anyone else to give him to... And I know you so well Holly. I know that you'll take good care of him and won't neglect him. And I know that eventually, you'll begin to think of him as a your child! Please Holly!" Jennie's bottom lip extended slightly in a childish pout. The very pout that she had honed and perfected for countless years for a moments such as this. "Please just adopt him. He needs a home. A _good_ home. With you."_

_Holly rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "I'm not sure Jennie... I'm always so busy at the hospital and-"_

"_That's not an excuse and you know it! Come on Holly, you never know. One day, you might even _thank me_!"_

_Holly sighed. Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine a cat swaying down her hall or stretched out on her bed. "Honestly Jennie, I wouldn't know how to take care of a cat. I've never had a pet before." Jennie gasped in a comical expression of horror and snatched her hand and clasping it between two of her own._

"_I, Jennie Elizabeth Fohnd, vow to make sure you never utter such God-awful words again." She nodded, eyes determined and face fixed. "Never... pet before... world coming to..." She mumbled to herself, dragging Holly out into the parking garage to ruthlessly stuff her coworker into the passenger seat of her pretty purple Corvette and speed to the nearest pet store to load up the backseat with necessities and toys and beds and treats and grooming supplies. Then she dropped Holly back off at the garage to pick up her car, parting with the promise to head to Holly's house right after she picked up the kitten from her home._

_As Holly watched Jennie drive away, she wondered if the woman had realized that Holly had never actually _agreed_ to adopt the Abyssinian cat._

A knock at the door roused her from her memories.

Oliver tensed, eyes locked on the door and Holly paused in her reading before glancing at the clock. It was seven, not too late. She shrugged her dainty shoulders and rolled to her feet, wobbling for the door with Oliver hot on her heel. When he began to tread over her feet, she scooped him into her arms. Peeking through the peep hole, Holly muttered a string of curses under her breath. She glanced at her clothes and her heart sank when she realized that it didn't matter how baggy the shirt was because her stomach was just too large.

Holly bit her lip and slowly tip toed away, to find a blanket at the very least, when she heard his deep rumble slip through the door. "I know you're there Holly, don't make me force my way in. We can be civil, can't we Kitten?"

"Alexx," She stumbled over his name. She hadn't meant to say it. "Now's... not a good time."

"Even more of a reason for me to be here. You're my-"

Holly threw open the door and Alexx stepped over the threshold without finishing his sentence. Holly glanced out the door and breathed a sigh of relief to see no one hanging out in the hall. No one had seen Alexx arrive.

She shut the door, careful not to lock it in case she needed a way out, and whirled on him. "What do you want?" The corner of his mouth twitched up at her tone.

"Not happy to see me, Kitten?" His voice was a low growl, and Holly felt a pang of fear. Oliver reacted instantly, hackles raised and teeth bared. Alexx flicked the cat a glance. "He doesn't like me too much, does he?" Holly pursed her lips.

He stepped forward suddenly and Holly unconsciously twisted her body away, protected her unborn child. Alexx's eyes narrowed and she could see the wheels turning furiously. Holly's heart lurched in fear. There was no way he could know from just an body twitch and maybe a slightly larger belly-

Oliver launched himself out of her arms and sunk his claws into Alexx's shoulder with a vicious snarl. Alexx gave a grunt of surprise and staggered back.

Holly threw herself forward without a thought to body slam Alexx, hands shooting out to rip Oliver away before the Fire Caster would have a chance to hurt her cat. Out of fear, she nearly tripped over her own feet to get away from him and his pained bellow as the feline's claws were yanked through his skin, shredding it messily.

Oliver's ears pressed against his skull as he clung to his mistress. He didn't understand why she had pulled him away. He was protecting his mistress and her kit. He tried to purr reassuringly but she was speaking again and could not hear him.

"Alexx, calm down okay. You scared me and Oliver was only trying to protect us." Alexx glared at her through narrowed eyes.

"Us?"

Holly realized too late what she had said and her heart faltered. "Us- us as in us. Oliver and me. Us." Holly cursed silently. She stuttered and rambled, and she felt he knew.

"Holly. I'm your mate, you shouldn't fear your mate."

"I'm not-"

"You are." His tone was final and Holly found that it wasn't worth the fight. "Come here."

"No." She clutched the cat tighter to her chest.

"Heal me, Holly." His stare dared her to tell him no again. Her breathing slightly labored she meticulously placed the feline on the couch and placed a small kiss to his head.

"You be good for Mommy, okay? Stay right here. Mommy will be right back." His large eyes stared unblinking at her and she took that as an acknowledgment. Then she slowly made her way to Alexx.

She stopped just out of reach before steeling her nerves and taking a small step forward. When he didn't move, Holly breathed a little sigh of relief and took another step forward, just enough to press a shaking hand to the skin he bared that dribbled red.

The skin knitted together easily under her finger tips. She worked quick and stepped back the moment she was done. She should have known, she thought, as Alexx reeled her back with a steady hand. "Alexx-" He pressed a hand to her stomach.

"I remember you being thinner than this." His voice was flat.

"I let myself go." Holly's mind was spinning so fast she began to feel light headed.

"Really?" She nodded slowly. "Holly," He stalked forward until her knees hit the edge of the couch and she toppled back. "Kitten, don't you know how much I hate being lied to?" Holly's breath hitched, eyes wide with panic.

His hands shot out and shoved her shirt up to bunch under her breasts. Holly's hand curled around his throat. She didn't need strength to kill him. Healing wasn't all she could do and Alexx knew it. He gave a burst of warning heat that brushed over her skin like fine silk.

"You're carrying my child." He sounded... stunned. The words sounding odd as they rolled off his tongue. He splayed a long fingered hand over her belly, his lean body curved over her. "How long?"

"How long what?" Her voice was hushed, almost a whisper.

"How long have you known." Holly didn't answer for a long time but Alexx was contented to just stroke her bulging stomach and marvel over the fact that Holly was carrying their offspring.

"Five months." His hand froze. Fuck. Why had she said anything? She should have kept her mouth shut and enjoyed the thorough petting.

"I've been back for two months." His eyes, a molten amber, speared her. "Just when were you planning to tell me?" Holly's eyes fixed themselves to his shoulder, her mouth closed stubbornly. Alexx's fingertips sparked as he tried to control his temper. "Holly-"

"I wasn't." He grew deathly still.

"You- Never-" Alexx couldn't get the words out. Never had he been so... dumbfounded. His mate... had planned on keeping his child a secret from him. Slowly, the astonishment was replaced with anger. Never had he known himself to be so acrimonious. The feeling ate him up.

Holly was cold with fear. Alexx had tightened his grip on her upper arms _(when did they get there?) _to an almost painful extent. "Alexx-" Her eyes flickered to his face and she jerked back in alarm. His arms pulled her back and pressed her chest against his hard. "Alexx, the baby!"

"Yeah, the _baby_. The one that you weren't going to tell me about." His voice was a gravelly growl.

Holly eyes shot around the room. "Alexx, you're going to hurt the baby. I know you're angry. I do, really. But you need to back o-"

"I'm fucking furious, _Girl_." Holly's chest heaved harshly and she began to cry. Her thin hands shoved against his shoulders, trying to get some distance between them. She couldn't _breath_. He was too close and she was terrified. And her baby... Oh God, he wasn't going to crush her _baby!_

"Alexx, Alexx, Alexx, pl-please" She hiccuped and cried and couldn't get out what she trying to say. "Please, please, the b-baby. You're going to hurt the baby. Y-You're g-going to hurt our- _our baby_." Alexx paused and his hold loosed until her back pressed against the couch cushions.

Alexx's black eyes bore into hers.

Holly's arms wrapped around her heavy belly, trying to protect her child. Alexx's eyes flickered for a split second.

Holly restrained the flinch when Alexx reached for her face, a small act of comfort as he stroked her cheek. His hands, large and warm, pried her arms away from her stomach and gently cupped the sides of her overflowing belly. His eyes lightened and gold bled into the inky depths. Never had he begun to revert back so fast before.

Unsure, Holly's hands fell lightly to his shoulders. He gave a hum of approval but jerked in surprise when a heavy force thumped against his palm. Alexx glanced up with unfamiliar dark eyes, questioning, before he twisted his palm to better feel the kicking.

"Why?" His voice was gravely and it startled Holly to hear the amount of intensity he put into those three little letters.

"Why what?" She spoke slow, uncertain.

"Why would you... hide my child..." The word rolled off his tongue awkwardly. The mere concept was foreign to him.

"I was afraid." He furrowed his brows, eyes a dark gold. "Afraid of you. Afraid of what you'd do."

"You think I'd hurt my child? My mate?" Maybe it was the light, maybe it wasn't that made his eyes flicker like an outdated bulb. Gold, _**black**_. Gold, **_black_**.

"You killed your own father." He snarled, teeth flashing. The gold was quickly fading, seeping away in his ever growing rage. Inhaling suddenly in surprise, Holly clenched the hand he laid across her belly sharply. "Alexx, you can't tell me I shouldn't fear you but turn around the next second and attack me for something I said! I don't want to be in a relationship where I can't speak my mind!"

He pulled back, sitting at the far end of the couch with an unreadable expression on his face. Holly pushed herself up carefully, fingers petting the spot on her stomach where Alexx heat had seeped in. A loud meow nearly made her jump.

Oliver's muscled bunched as he launched himself onto the arm of the couch behind her. He slowly wormed his way onto her lap, standing defensively in front of her baby. "Hey sweetie, he's not going to hurt us." Holly peeked through her lashes at Alexx. "Right? You're not going to hurt us."

Very slowly, he shook his head. Gold began to ooze its way into dominance over the shadows between his lashes. Holly's heart was thudding harshly in her chest. Alexx had been in the clutches of a rage, and she had reprimanded him, even pulled him out. Never had she been so stupid.

Taking a firm hold on her fear, she pushed it down. She held out her hand over Oliver's head but Alexx stared at it like it was a viper cocking back to strike. Minutes ticked by but Holly waited patiently until at last Alexx's hand twitch forward.

Clasping the calloused hand gently, she drew him off the couch and before her. Bracing her feet against the carpet, she drew his fingers, pads facing the ceiling, to Oliver's mouth. Ignoring the way his arm tensed, muscles clenching sharply, Holly coaxed her cat to sniff delicately at Alexx's hand. Oliver held still, back stiff with glittering amber eyes, as she ran Alexx's palm over the luscious rust-tinted fur.

"See how easy you need to be?" Holly murmured. "He's fragile," she ignored the almost silent scoff. "Like a baby. Being rough will only lead to mistrust and eventually distance. So you need to be cautious. Overly cautious, because you don't want to cause him any harm, right?" Slowly she got an understanding nod.

He regained his hand, running his fingers feather-light over the feline's spine while Holly murmured softly spoken words of approval. They stayed like that for a while, Alexx struggling to grasp the concept of fragility and Holly doing her best to mold him. He did, after all, find out about her pregnancy and if he thought he was going to walk in and just start picking up her baby willy-nilly, then he had better resign himself to the daunting task of-

Holly leaned just a little bit closer and took a delicate sniff. He had a scent about him, it was unfamiliar and kind of... sweet. Like perfume.

And peeking just a little bit lower, the faintest little crescent-shaped indentures were displayed from the fairly uncovered skin of his hips. His shirt had rode when he leaned against the couch to better observe the cat and Holly, hesitantly reached out to further expose the steadily bruising skin...

Teeth.

_He had been bitten-_

The lightest smudge of lipstick, the kind of red that resembled blood, smeared from the teeth down into the waistband of his pants.

_-By another woman._

Slowly, Holly brought her eyes up to meet the Fire Caster's, bracing herself- steeling herself – so that by the time their eyes locked Holly had on a mask of perfect indifference, a blank expression she had reserved only for the battlefield.

_Cold, unreadable – give the enemy nothing._

"Funny," she remarked curtly, "I wouldn't have pegged you as one for such a daring color."

He didn't answer.


End file.
